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The day before Memphis suffered a 100-98 loss to the Spurs — their 14th in a row since Jan. 29 — Rathan-Mayes was in Florida with the G League’s Westchester Knicks. The Grizzlies desperately needed backcourt depth given injuries to Mike Conley (heel surgery), Tyreke Evans (ribs), Andrew Harrison (wrist) and Mario Chalmers (hamstring).

Rathan-Mayes simply wanted an opportunity, and he wasn’t shy during his first time on an NBA court. The combo guard put up 10 shots — only three fewer than Marc Gasol — in 26 minutes and collected eight points, and two steals in a road game the Grizzlies had a chance to steal from Spurs guard Tony Parker and a perennial Western Conference power.

“He’s a very aggressive on-ball defender. He plays with a competitive edge and a toughness that fits in,” Bickerstaff said. “Offensively, he’s an attacker, a scoring guard. He can make plays out of pick-and-rolls. With his attitude, we expect him to fit in with what we’re trying to do.”

If Rathan-Mayes immediately appeared as if he belonged on basketball’s biggest stage, then perhaps its partly because of the Canadian blood in him. Rathan-Mayes is a Toronto native who grew up knowing Grizzlies rookie and fellow Canadian Dillon Brooks.

Brooks is the only Grizzlies player who has appeared in every regular-season game. He captured the imagination of Memphis’ coaching staff from the first day of training camp and has been relied upon as a rotation player ever since.

Rathan-Mayes hopes to walk in Dillon’s path whether he sticks with the Grizzlies or not.

“It’s been a dream come true,” Rathan-Mayes said. “It’s something I’ve worked for my whole, entire life — to be in this position, to be able to get a chance so early in my career to show people what I can do and play at a high level. It’s been a whirlwind the last couple of days.”

Memphis (18-45) continues to evaluate young talent as its prepares to face the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night in United Center.

During his three years at Florida State, Rathan-Mayes made marked improvements to his jump shot, decision-making and overall basketball IQ. He transformed from a score-first slasher into a pass-first player with well-rounded offensive skills.

His size — 6-foot-4 — allows him to effectively defend NBA point guards. Joining the Grizzlies puts Rathan-Mayes in position to compete with guard Myke Henry given the roster will certainly have plenty of new faces next season.

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“They’re confident. They know the situation we’re in right now and they’re trying to play for spots,” Brooks said of the newcomers. “They’re aggressive and they’re playing unselfishly. It was a great first game by X (Rathan-Mayes). He’s got a lot of potential.”